Analytic services portal

ABSTRACT

Provided are methods and systems for providing analytic services, as well as computer programs encoded on computer storage devices and configured to perform the actions of the methods. One or more processors create an alignment associated with a client, where the alignment organizes data in a database, and where the data in the database comprises prescription information, store information, and product information. A request for a report is received, where the request identifies the client. The requested report is generated based on the alignment, where the report comprises one or more indicators derived from data contained in the database.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Application Ser. No.61/484,473, filed on May 10, 2011, entitled BUSINESS INTELLIGENCEPORTAL, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to techniques for analysis of health careand pharmaceutical data.

Companies are increasingly interested in analyzing the financialinformation connected with their business. Prescription data recordsthat are generated by retail pharmacies or hospital dispensaries, forexample, when they fill prescriptions for clients, may contain labels ordata fields that include, among other data, the identity of the drugbeing dispensed, the name of the filling location, and informationidentifying the party responsible for authorizing and/or making paymentsfor the prescriptions. Useful market intelligence may be derived fromstatistical or other analysis of this data. Accordingly, there exists aneed for an improved technique for using this information to provideuseful market intelligence.

SUMMARY

The disclosed system and method relate to a portal for providing clientswith business planning insights and analytic services. In oneembodiment, the portal provides pharmacies with a portal for comparingtheir performance with the performance of competitor stores in arelevant market. One or more alignments may be used to generate a reportfor user access. The report may include information related to theclient's performance against the market. The report may also provide keyperformance indicators and business insights, and indicate where theclient may have opportunities to improve their performance. Thedisclosed system and method use technical means to solve technicalproblems, and result in multiple technical effects, including quicklyand accurately deriving information from data in a database, andreporting the derived information to a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart describing an overview of the process of oneembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart describing the creation of a store profile inconnection with one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart describing the creation of a product profile inconnection with one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of the customerregistration process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart describing the creation of a geographic alignmentin connection with one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart describing the user log-in procedure inconnection with one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 9 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 11 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 17 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 18 illustrates filters that can be used in connection with oneembodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 19 shows two possible geographic hierarchies that can be used inconnection with one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 20 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 21 illustrates one embodiment of a report generated in connectionwith the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart describing how a report can be generated inconnection with one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment of the hardware that may be used inconnection with the disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter disclosed herein is generally directed to a systemand method for providing a client with business planning insights andanalytic services. More specifically, the subject matter is generallydirected to a portal for providing a client with such services. Oneembodiment of the system and method is illustrated in FIG. 1. A providerbuilds a database of relevant information at 102. A client enrolls inthe program at 104. The provider creates at least one alignment for theclient at 106. Information related to the alignments can be displayed tothe customer at 108. Finally, the alignments can be periodically updatedat 110.

In order to provide the appropriate information to a client, a providermust first assemble the necessary information in a database. In oneembodiment, the provider assembles the database and stores theinformation at a provider location. However, in other embodiments, thedatabase can be assembled and/or stored by a third party, as long as theprovider has access to the information in the database. The database maybe a single collection of data. In other embodiments, however, thedatabase may be two or more storage devices located remotely from eachother, as long as the provider has access to the data stored therein.

The information contained in the database will depend on what type ofinformation the provider intends to provide to the client. For example,in one embodiment the portal is intended for use by retail pharmacies.In such an embodiment, the database may include pharmacy data and claimsdata for both the most recent reporting period and a number ofhistorical periods. The database may also include any other relevantdata related to pharmacies and prescriptions. For example, the databasemay include location information for each pharmacy in the relevantmarket. The data stored in the database may include one or both ofactual and projected filled prescription volume, volume change, marketshare, market share change, dollars of sales, and number of units soldof pharmacy drug products. The database may be supplemented by pharmacydata from individual pharmacies or chains. For example, the client maybe required or asked to provide certain data when enrolling in theservice. The database may also include information regarding the numberof outlets currently in operation. However, the disclosed subject matteris not limited to applications in the pharmacy field, and can be usedwith a wide range of other businesses.

The database may include data associated with each competitor store. Acompetitor store, as used herein, refers to any store in a particularcompetitive field. The definition of a competitive field will generallybe determined by the provider. For example, in one embodiment thecompetitive field is the retail pharmacy field, and a competitor storecan include every store that sells prescriptions to the general public.This can include both standalone pharmacies and large stores (e.g.,grocery stores) with a pharmacy section. In other embodiments, thecompetitor stores may be limited to only standalone pharmacies.

For each store determined to be a competitor store, the provider maybuild a profile associated with that store. However, it should beunderstood that such a profile is not strictly necessary. Instead, thedata related to a particular store may be spread throughout the databaseuntil a geographic alignment is created. In some embodiments, the storeprofile is stored as part of a generic geographic alignment.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the process used for constructing astore profile. At 202, the provider creates an empty store profileassociated with the identified competitor store. The empty profile willgenerally include the name of the store, but no additional information.The provider can assign a store number to the competitor store at 204,and store that information in the store profile.

At 206, the provider obtains geographic information associated with thecompetitor store. This geographic information may be, for example, theaddress of the competitor store. However, other geographic informationmay be used instead. For example, in one embodiment of the disclosedsubject matter, the name of the city or town in which the competitorstore is located may be sufficient.

The provider can use the geographic information to assign geographicgroupings to the store at 208. Each of these geographic groupings may bedata fields in the store profile. For example, in one embodiment thestore profile includes the data fields NATIONAL, REGION, STATE, andMUNICIPAL. NATIONAL is the country in which the competitor store islocated. If the portal is intended for use only in a single country,this data field may include the same value (e.g., NATIONAL), for allcategories. REGION is a subnational category that is larger than theSTATE grouping. For example, the possible data values for the REGIONdata field may be limited to EAST or WEST. In another embodiment, acountry may be broken into a number of regions. For example, in theUnited States the possible data values for the REGION data field mayinclude NORTHEAST, MID-ATLANTIC, SOUTH, MIDWEST, MOUNTAIN, SOUTHWEST,and PACIFIC NORTHWEST. In general, the provider can determine whichgroupings are appropriate for this data field. The STATE data fieldidentifies the state or province in which the competitor store islocated. The store profile may, alternatively or additionally, include amodified state data field in which certain small states or provinces areconsolidated into a single grouping. For example, the provinces ofNewfoundland and Prince Edward Island may be combined to form a NL+PEgrouping. The MUNICIPAL data field can be the name of the city in whichthe competitor store is located. The store profile may, alternatively oradditionally, include a modified municipal data field. For example, themodified municipal data field may be based on the Census MetropolitanArea (CMA) in Canada. Moreover, the municipal data field may need to befurther modified. For example, an adjusted CMA may be used in Canada inorder to satisfy confidentiality requirements, because there may not beenough competitor stores in a CMA to mask certain elements of theiridentity. While certain geographic groupings have been identified inconnection with one embodiment of the store profile, additionalgroupings may also be used. These groupings may be based on, forexample, the postal code associated with the competitor store, or thecounty in which the competitor store is located. Various countries haveadditional geographic or administrative divisions which may be used asgeographic groupings. These geographic groupings are subsequently storedin the store profile.

The provider can obtain financial and/or prescription information aboutthe competitor store at 210. This information may include the totalnumber of prescriptions filled by the pharmacy in a given time period,the total dollar amount of the prescriptions filled by the pharmacy, thenumber of prescriptions filled for each product, the price charged bythe pharmacy for each product, demographic information about thecustomers for the store (e.g., the age of the customer buying eachprescription), and any other relevant information. Some or all of thisinformation may not be available for any or all stores, in which caseprojected data or market data may need to be used instead. Anyinformation obtained by the provider can be stored in the store profile.In other embodiments, however, the financial and/or prescriptioninformation is not stored in the store profile. Instead, suchinformation is retrieved from the database as needed.

A class of trade for the competitor store is assigned at 212. The classof trade generally describes the different types of competitor stores.For example, in one embodiment each competitor store is identified asone of INDEPENDENT (as independent or single location pharmacy),CHAIN/BANNER (a location of a large pharmacy chain), or FOOD/MASS (apharmacy located in a grocery store or the like). However, other classof trade designations can also be used.

Other information can also be added to the store profile and used in theanalytics. For example, the store profile can also include the locationstatus (i.e., whether the location is open, closed, or invalid) and anindication of how long the competitor store has been open.

The database may also include a product profile for at least oneproduct. However, such a profile is not strictly necessary. Instead, thedata for a particular product may be dispersed throughout the databaseuntil a product alignment is created. In some embodiments, the productprofile is stored as part of a generic product alignment.

For example, the database may include a product profile for every drugon the market. One embodiment of the process for constructing a productprofile is illustrated in FIG. 3. The provider first creates a productprofile associated with a drug at 302. The product profile includes thename of the drug. For example, the product profile may include both thetrade name and the scientific name of the drug. The provider can assigna drug identification number to the drug at 304.

The provider can assign class and subclass information to the drug at306. The classes and subclasses used in the database can be assigned inany manner. For example, Lipitor is a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor thatslows the production of cholesterol in the body and is used to treatheart disease. As such, Lipitor may be grouped in the CardiovascularDrugs class and the Antilipemic and Atherosclerosis Inhibiting Agentssubclass. In some embodiments, a drug may be assigned to multipleclasses and subclasses. In other embodiments, a drug can be assigned tomore than one subclass within a single class, and to any subset of asubclass.

The provider can assign a disease type to the drug based on the diseasethe drug is used to treat at 308. In one embodiment, the disease typemay be one of acute and chronic. The provider also assigns a producttype to the drug at 310. The product type will generally be either brandor generic. For example, the product type data field may have a value of1 if the product is a brand, and 0 if the product is generic. Otherdisease types and product types may also be used in connection with theportal.

Finally, the provider obtains the market price of the product at 312.The market price may be obtained from a number of sources by any meansknown in the art. The market price may, for example, be a weightedaverage of prices obtained from a plurality of sources. This informationis stored in the product profile. Any additional information related toa particular product can also be included in the product profile.

Once the database has been assembled, the provider offers access to theportal to clients. With reference to FIG. 1, the client enrolls with theprovider at 104. One embodiment of the enrollment process is illustratedin FIG. 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, the provider offers various levels ofaccess. For example, Tier 1 access may include a base level ofinformation and analysis, while Tier 2 may include more advancedinformation and analysis and may include additional interactivefeatures. The client chooses a preferred level of access at 402.

The client can identify one or more user names at 404. Each of the usernames will be associated with the client, and may be used by one or morepeople. For example, each branch or office may have an individual username, such that every employee of a store located in Chicago would usethe ChicagoBranch user name, and every employee of the head office coulduse the HeadOffice user name. Alternatively, each person authorized toaccess the portal may have an individual user name.

The client also specifies the permissions for each of the user names at406. Permissions generally describe what level of access a userassociated with a particular user name is given. For example, theChicagoBranch user name may be limited to viewing information about aspecific store, while the HeadOffice user name can access informationabout any store or group of stores. Similarly, the Southwest regionaldirector may have a user name which allows him or her to see any of thestores in the Southwest region, but none of the stores outside of thatregion. In one embodiment, the client may create one or moreconfiguration profiles and assign each user name to one of theconfiguration profiles. For example, the client may have twoconfiguration profiles: a head office user, and a store user. The headoffice user's view of the data will generally be different than that ofa store user. For example, a user with a store user configurationprofile will be limited to information related to that user's locationonly and cannot roll up to higher geographical or product levels. Forexample, in another embodiment, the southwest region director and thenortheast regional director may both be assigned a regional directorconfiguration profile, but the other permissions associated with theiruser names will prevent each from viewing any stores outside his or herregion. Using the configuration profiles or otherwise specifyingpermissions for each user name, the client may be able to limit the userto one of a standard or configured geographic hierarchy, a standard orconfigured product hierarchy, a monthly or quarterly report, whethercompetitors are defined on the basis of classes of trade or a tradearea, and whether the user can access different tiers of reports.

The client can specify a configured hierarchy at 408. Each hierarchyincludes a number of levels at which data can be viewed. For example,the standard geographical hierarchy may allow the client to compare itsstores to other stores in a local area, in a state, in a region, or in acountry. However, the client may wish to view data based on some othergeographic level. For example, the client may wish to compare storesmanaged by a particular regional director against other stores in thoseregions. The client will therefore specify that the configuredgeographic hierarchy should include a regional director category. Theclient can provide a breakdown of which stores are associated with theregional director as well as what territories to use for comparison.Similarly, the client may wish to compare itself against other stores inthe county, which may not be included in the standard geographicalhierarchy.

The client also provides specific information about each store at 410.This information may include information about the prescriptions filledat each store. For example, the client may provide the total number ofprescriptions filled by each store in a given time period, the totaldollar amount of the prescriptions filled by each store, the number ofprescriptions filled for each product at each store, the price chargedby each store for each product, demographic information about thecustomers for each store (e.g., the age of the customer buying eachprescription), and any other relevant information. This information canbe used to analyze the store's performance relative to the market. Ifthis information has already been obtained by the provider through othermeans, the client will not be required to provide it to the portalprovider.

With reference to FIG. 1, the provider then proceeds to create thealignments. An alignment, as used herein, refers to a collection of datathat can be used to organize the data from the database in a particularmanner. For example, the geographic alignment is used to organize thedata from the database based on the location of various stores. The timealignment is used to organize the data from the database based on time.

One embodiment of the process used to create the geographic alignment isillustrated in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the geography alignmentcontains information on all retail business locations in the database.If a profile of each store has been created, this information is used tocreate the alignment. Otherwise, the information is dispersed throughoutthe database and is collected to create the geographic alignment. Thegeography alignment may also include information for all locations thathave moved or been closed during the study period, as well as how longeach store has been opened. This additional information may be used, forexample, in determining the outlet store count or calculating organicversus non-organic business.

The provider creates a standard file for the client at 502. The standardfile includes a list of all the competitor stores in the database. Thestandard file may include a number of data fields similar to thosedescribed above in relation to a store profile. The standard file may,for example, include data fields for a provider's numeric identifier foreach location (LOCATIONID), the textual name for the location (NAME),the location's banner or chain name (CHAINNAME), a client-assignednumber attached to the location (STORENUMBER), the street address forthe location (ADDRESS), the name of the city in which the locationresides (CITY), a region designation (REGION), a state or provincedesignation (PROV), a national designation (NATIONAL), the longitude forthe location (LONGITUDE), the latitude for the location (LATITUDE), thelocation's assignment to one of CHAIN/BANNER, FOOD/MASS, or INDEPENDENT(CLASS OF TRADE), an indication of whether the location is open, closed,or invalid (LOCATION STATUS), an indication of whether a location isactive, new, or dropped from the report (STATUS), whether a store is anactual store or projected (ACTUAL), the date the store was added to thedatabase (ADDED DATE), the date the store was dropped from the database(DROPPED DATE), and an indication of how long the store has been opened(OPEN_MONTHS). The standard file may also include additional geographicinformation or any other store information required by the provider. Thestandard file should also include data fields for any additionalgeographic categories specified by the client for the configuredgeographic hierarchy.

This list is modified at 504 to label each client store. For example,the standard file may include a class of trade data field. In oneembodiment, this class of trade data field is modified to identify eachclient store not as INDEPENDENT, BANNER/CHAIN, or FOOD/MASS, but asCLIENT.

For every client store, one or more client competitor stores isidentified at 506. In one embodiment, the client identifies clientcompetitor stores for each client stores. However, in other embodiments,the provider identifies a set of client competitor stores for eachclient store based on objective data. For example, the provider mayidentify client competitor stores based on the proximity of other storesto the client competitor stores. The provider may, for example, identifythe 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 closest stores as client competitor stores. Inanother embodiment, the provider identifies the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10closest stores in each class of trade as client competitor stores. Inother embodiments, the percentage of stores of each class of trade canbe based on the client's preference, on the percentage of stores of eachclass of trade in a certain area, or on any other metric. The numberspresented here are exemplary only. Any number of stores can beidentified as client competitor stores for a particular client store,although the analysis may be less useful if the number is large. Thenumber of stores identified by either the client or provider may berequired to be over a minimum number defined by the provider. Forexample, the provider may require that the number of client competitorstores be over a certain number (e.g., six) in order to meetconfidentiality requirements.

Finally, the provider links each client store with the one or moreidentified client competitor stores at 508. This may be accomplished,for example, by creating a new data field for each store listed in thefile. The new data field, TARGET PHARMACY NAME, identifies the clientstore for which the store has been identified as a client competitorstore. This field may be left blank for each client store. However, inother embodiments, a first client store may be identified as a clientcompetitor store for a second client store. This field may also be leftblank for any store that has not been identified as a client competitorstore for any client store. However, there may be certain stores thathave been identified as client competitor stores for two or more clientstores. In one embodiment, multiple stores may be identified in theTARGET PHARMACY NAME data field. In other embodiments, a second entry orfile or profile is created for the client competitor store in order tolink the client competitor store with a second client store.

The modified alignment file may be saved as a new file such that twoversions of the file exist: a standard alignment file and a modifiedalignment file.

The modified alignment file may also contain data fields related to theconfigured hierarchies specified by the client. For example, if theclient has specified that the configured geographic hierarchy shouldinclude a DIRECTOR field, each competitor store will include a DIRECTORdata field including the name of the director responsible for the areain which the competitor store is located.

A product alignment may also be created. The product alignment mayinclude a number of data fields similar to those described above inrelation to a product profile. The data fields may include aprovider-assigned numeric product identifier for one or more drugs(PRODUCT ID), a provider-assigned numeric product identifier for eachindividual drug (DRUG ID), a name descriptor for the product (TRADENAME), a chemical name for the product (CHEMICAL NAME), thequantity/potency of the product (STRENGTH), the form of delivery for theproduct (FORM), the name of the supplier (SUPPLIER), an indication ofwhether the product is generic (GENERIC INDICATOR), an indication of thecharacteristics of the product (DRUG STATUS), an numeric identifier forthe class (CLASS NUMBER), a text identifier for the class (CLASS NAME),a numeric identifier for the subclass (SUBCLASS NUMBER), a textidentifier for the subclass (SUBCLASS NAME), and a grouping to identifywhich products are used for non-chronic therapies versus chronictherapies (CHRONIC).

Other alignments that may be used in connection with the disclosedsubject matter include moved stores and time alignments. The movedstores contains supplementary historical information for stores thathave moved locations, and is generally used to augment fact data inorder to account for the volume of the moved store. The time alignmentdefines various time periods used in connection with the portal. Thetime alignment may be defined by the subscription that the clientpurchases, such that a time alignment for a client that purchasesreports based on 24 months of data contains 24 months of data.

The alignment files are used to generate the reports that are displayedto the client. The portal may include an email notification system whichsends an email to the client when the reports are ready to view.

After the client enrolls with the provider, the client can access theportal to view information associated with one or more alignments. Thisinformation may be displayed in the form of a report. One embodiment ofthe process used to access such a report is illustrated in FIG. 6. Auser accesses the portal at 602. This will typically be done through awebsite operated by the provider which the user can access online.However, in other embodiments, the user may access the portal through aspecialized computer terminal provided by the provider. Any othercommunication method known in the art can also be used to access theportal.

The user can enter a user name and password at 604. If the user name andpassword do not match a user name and password stored by the provider,access is denied. If the user name and password are accepted by theprovider, the provider identifies the client associated with the username at 606. The provider also identifies the permissions associatedwith the user name at 608. Finally, the provider displays a report tothe user based on the associated client and the identified permissions.For example, if the user name is associated with the Acme Pharmacy, areport for Acme Pharmacy will be displayed to the user.

Each client may be able to save certain preferences for report viewing.For example, a user may be able to select and save a preferred languagefor viewing the reports. In other embodiments, certain default settingsmay be saved. For example, the customer may be able to select and savecertain default settings for the displayed to the user, especially iffilters are available to the user.

FIGS. 7-17 and 20-21 illustrate various embodiments of the reports thatcan be displayed to the user.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a market share report that can bedisplayed to the user. A market share report may include any informationrelated to the client's share of a relevant market. Relevant market, asused herein, refers to all competitor stores that share a particularvalue in a data field in the geographic alignment. Data values shown inthe report may include total prescription count, dollar amount ofprescriptions, market share of total prescription count and/or dollaramount of prescriptions, percent change for any of these values. (Dollaramount may be the actual dollar amount of the prescriptions, or anestimate based on the prescription count and market price data). Thedata values may be presented for and in relation to any time period,such as quarterly (where the percent change reflects the change from thelast quarter) or MAT.

The market share report illustrated in FIG. 7 includes a market sharechart 702 and a market share table 704. The market share chart 702 showsthe client's percentage of the retail market. The market share chart 702also illustrates the market shares for other stores broken down by classof trade. In other embodiments, the chart may show the market share ofthe client versus the rest of the market as a whole. In addition, thedata can be presented in numerous forms, including, for example, othertypes of charts, graphs, or tables. Market share table 704 illustratesthe growth of the client as compared to the rest of the market. Thistable is broken down into two time periods. The quarter table 706 showsthe growth of the client as compared to the rest of the market in thelast quarter. The Moving Annual Total (MAT) table 708 shows the growthof the client as compared to the rest of the market over the last year.

The charts in FIG. 7 are based on the share of a particular retailmarket. The market used for these calculations may be determined by thepermissions identified by the client. For example, if the permissionsspecify that a certain user name can only see the data associated with asingle store, the market share chart 702 may show the market share forthat store as compared to the market data for stores identified ascompetitor stores. In another embodiment, the user may be able to selectfrom a number of different geographic groupings, and the data willdynamically update based on the new settings. In one embodiment, theprovider may offer two or more tiers, and the option to select ageographic grouping will be available only in certain of the tiers.

The market share calculated in connection with FIG. 7 is based on thenumber of prescriptions filled by the pharmacy, as shown in market sharetable 704. In another embodiment, the market share is calculated basedon the total cost of the prescriptions filled by the client. In anotherembodiment, the user may be able to select whether the market share datais based on total prescriptions filled or the cost of prescriptionsfilled. For example, the user may be presented with a dropdown box forchoosing a metric for calculating market share.

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of the outlet count report. The outletcount report may include any information related to the number ofoperating competitor stores, including a count of the number of storesin the relevant market, a count of new locations in the relevant market,and the proportion of change in the share of outlets for the most recentperiod when compared with the previous period, or the same period fromthe year prior.

FIG. 8 includes an outlet count chart 802, which shows the total numberof store operated by the client as compared to the total number ofnon-client stores. The non-client stores may be broken out by class oftrade. The outlet count report also includes an outlet count table 804.The outlet count table 804 may include a total outlet count table 806that shows the number of total stores for the client as compared to therest of the market. The outlet count data table may also include a newoutlet count table 808 that shows the number of new stores opened by theclient as compared to the number of new stores opened by the rest of themarket.

FIG. 9 illustrates a payor split report generated in connection with oneembodiment of the disclosed subject matter. The payor split report mayinclude any information associated with how the customers pay for theprescriptions. The purchases may be classified in three categories:public, which encompasses any purchase made using a public insuranceplan; private, encompassing any purchase made using a private insuranceplan; and cash.

FIG. 9 illustrates the percentages of the client's business based onpayor type. FIG. 9 also illustrates the growth of business for eachpayor type for the client as compared to the market as a whole.

FIG. 10 illustrates one embodiment of a products/classes report that canbe displayed to the user. A products/classes report may include anyinformation related to particular classes or products. Theproduct/classes report may be, for example, a top products/classesreport which shows the products and classes with the best sales and/orgrowth. The products/classes report could also be a bottomproducts/classes report. A products/classes report may include totalprescription count, dollar amount of prescriptions, market share oftotal prescription count and/or dollar amount of prescriptions (for theparticular class or product) (also called My Share), and percent changefor any of these values.

FIG. 10 identifies the top therapeutic classes and products at 1002 andthe fastest growing therapeutic classes and products at 1004. The topproducts and classes may be selected based on the products or classeswith the highest volume of total prescription count or dollar amount ofprescriptions, depending on the metric to be used. The top products andclasses may also be selected based on data related to the market as awhole. In other embodiments, the top products or classes may be selectedbased on client vs. classes of trade or client store vs. trade area. Thefastest growing therapeutic classes and products may be determined basedon those products or classes having the greatest growth based on theentire market. The provider may exclude from the calculation any producthaving a very small share of total prescriptions (e.g., <0.1%), as asmall absolute change may result in a very large percentage change. Theprovider may also group the products by scientific name so that allgeneric, for example, can be counted as one.

FIG. 11 illustrates one embodiment of a generic opportunity report thatmay be generated in connection with the disclosed subject matter. Thegeneric opportunity report may include any information related to thesales of generic versus brand name products. The generic opportunityreport may include the total prescription count and dollar amount forgeneric and/or brand products, and the associated market share.

The generic opportunity report includes a product type share chart 1102.Product type share chart 1102 illustrates the percentages of theclient's business that is attributable to generic products versus brandname products. As with market share, product type share may becalculated based on total prescriptions filled by the client. In anotherembodiment, product type share may be calculated based on the cost ofprescriptions filled by the client. Product type share chart 1102 mayalso include a representation of the product type share for the marketas a whole. The market may be the entire international market, theentire national market, or any other market. The generic opportunityreport also includes a generic market share chart 1104. The genericmarket share chart 1104 illustrates the client's market share of genericproducts (i.e., the percentage of the total number of generic productssold in the market that are sold by the client). In other embodiments,the generic opportunity report may also include a brand market sharechart. The generic opportunity report may further include a genericgrowth chart 1106. The generic growth chart 1106 illustrates the growthrate of sales of generic products by the client as compared to themarket as a whole. In other embodiments, the generic opportunity reportmay also include a brand growth chart.

FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of an acute versus chronic businessreport that may be generated in connection with the disclosed subjectmatter. Each product is identified as one of an acute product or achronic product. An acute product is a product that is used to treatdiseases over a short time period, after which the purchaser will nolonger need to continue using the product. A chronic product is aproduct that is used to treat diseases over a long period of time suchthat the purchaser is likely to become a repeat customer. Some productscan be used to treat both acute and chronic diseases. In one embodiment,such products are determined to be either an acute product or a chronicproduct. In another embodiment, such products are not categorized andtherefore are ignored for purposes of the acute versus chronic businessreport. In yet another embodiment, a certain share of the total salesand/or prescriptions for each of these combination products is allocatedto acute products and chronic products based either on prescriptioninformation or the likelihood of use for a particular purpose. Thisinformation is generally stored with each product profile. The acuteversus chronic business report may include any information related tothe sales of acute products versus chronic products.

The acute versus chronic business report includes an acute versuschronic business share chart 1202 illustrating the percentage of theclient's business which is attributable to acute products versus chronicproducts. The acute versus chronic business share chart 1202 may alsoinclude data regarding the share of the total market attributable toacute products versus chronic products. The acute versus chronicbusiness report may also include an acute market share chart 1204illustrating the percentage of total acute products in the market thatare sold by the client. A chronic market share report may illustrate thesame information for chronic products.

FIG. 13 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a generic opportunityreport. The generic opportunity report in FIG. 13 is more specificallytailored for use in connection with a single store. Product type sharechart 1302 is substantially similar to product type share chart 1102 inFIG. 11. However, while generic growth chart 1106 in FIG. 11 illustratesthe growth rate of a client as compared to the market broken down byclass of trade, generic growth chart 1304 illustrates the actual growthof an individual client store as compared to the trade area. The tradearea may be defined as the set of client competitor stores linked to theclient store.

Similarly, FIG. 14 illustrates alternative embodiment of an acute versuschronic business report. Acute versus chronic business share chart 1402is substantially similar to acute versus chronic business share chart1202. Chronic growth chart 1304 illustrates the actual growth of thechronic product market for an individual client store as compared to thetrade area. As shown by FIGS. 11-14, a wide range of metrics can bedisplayed for the various reports discussed herein. In one embodiment,FIGS. 11 and 12 show the reports for a user having a first configurationprofile, while FIGS. 13 and 14 show the reports for a user associatedwith the same client having a second configuration profile.

While each of the foregoing reports has been shown individually, thereports may also be displayed in a group as illustrated in FIG. 15. Thereport of FIG. 15 includes a Market Intelligence Report 1502, a PriceOptimization Report 1504, a Customer-Current and Potential Report 1506,and a Physician Information Report 1508. As illustrated in MarketIntelligence Report 1502, the various charts, graphs, and tables can berearranged in various combinations. Indeed, Market Intelligence Report1502 includes a market share table 1510 similar to market share table704 in FIG. 7, a top growing classes and products table 1512 similar tothe fastest growing classes and products table 1004 in FIG. 10, and apayor split chart 1514 similar to the payor split chart shown in FIG. 9.Any combination of charts, graphs, and tables described herein may beplaced in a single report as desired by the provider and/or client.

Price Optimization Report 1504 provides data related to the pricing ofvarious drugs by the client. Price Optimization Report 1504 may includea potential profits table 1516 which identifies products sold at lessthat market price and the potential profits that the client could reapif the price was changed to reflect the market price. Price OptimizationReport 1504 may also include a distribution of scripts by price chart1518 which illustrates the percentage of products sold by the client ateach price range. The distribution of scripts by price chart 1518 mayalso include the same information for the market as a whole.

The Customer-Current and Potential Report 1506 provides a customerprofile for the client and may identify potential opportunities in theclient's customer profile. The report may include a market share by agedemographic chart 1520 which illustrates the client's market share ineach age group. The report may also include a customer persistency chart1522 which illustrates how long the client's customers continue topurchase the same product upon first use. The report may further includea loyalty chart 1524 which illustrates how many customers a client hasgained or lost during a certain time frame (e.g., in the past quarter).

The Physician Information report 1508 identifies the doctors whoseprescriptions are filled at a client's pharmacy. The PhysicianInformation report 1508 may include a top prescribers chart 1526indicating which doctors have the most prescriptions filled by theclient's pharmacy. The top prescribers chart may be based on a number ofmetrics, including the total number of a physician's prescriptionsfilled at the client's pharmacy or the percentage of a physician'sprescriptions filled at the client's pharmacy. The Physician Informationreport 1508 may also include a physician opportunity chart 1528indicating which doctors have the fewest prescriptions filled by theclient's pharmacy.

In some embodiments, the provider may offer each of the reports a lacarte such that the client can select which reports to view. Forexample, Client A may select the reports shown in FIG. 15. Using thesame system, Client B may select the reports shown in FIG. 16. Insteadof viewing a Market Intelligence Report 1502, a Price OptimizationReport 1504, a Customer-Current and Potential Report 1506, and aPhysician Information Report 1508, Client B will, upon logging into thesystem, view a Market Share Report 1602, a Payor Split Report 1604, aTop Therapeutic Classes and Products Report 1606, and a PriceOptimization Report 1608.

As previously noted, the user may have the option of viewing the reportswith different filters. An example of a report providing the user withsuch filters is illustrated in FIG. 17. The report includes a geographydropdown box 1702 and a metric dropdown box 1704. The geography dropdownbox allows the user to view the data for various markets. For example,in one embodiment, the user may begin by viewing the data for a singlestore, Store A. The user may use the geography dropdown box 1702 toselect a different geographical view, such as a state. The datadisplayed to the user can be updated to show the data for the entirestate. The user may also select a different client store (e.g., Store B)from the geography dropdown box 1702.

For example, the Market Intelligence Report 1706 includes a market sharetable 1708. When the user is viewing the data for Store A, the marketshare table shows Store A's share of the relevant local market. (Aspreviously noted, the relevant local market for a given client store maybe defined by the stores identified as client competitor stores for theclient store). When the user selects the state configuration using thedropdown box 1702, the information in market share table 1708 may bedynamically updated to show the market share of the client in the state.The client's total prescriptions column of the market share table 1708will reflect the total number of prescriptions filled by all clientstores in the state during the relevant time period.

Metric dropdown box 1704 similarly allows the user to select the metricfor calculating the relevant data. For example, in one embodiment theuser may select either total prescriptions or prescription cost from themetric dropdown box. If total prescriptions is selected, the data inmarket share chart 1708 will be calculated based on the number ofprescriptions filled by the client. If prescription cost is selected,the data in market share chart 1708 will be calculated based on thetotal cost of the prescriptions filled by the client.

FIG. 18 illustrates another embodiment of the disclosed subject matterin which filters are made available to the user. Geography hierarchydropdown box 1802 allows the user to select a geographic hierarchy touse. Available geographic hierarchies may include a standard geographichierarchy (i.e., a geographic hierarchy made available to all users) anda configured geographic hierarchy (i.e., a geographic hierarchyconfigured to the client's specifications). In some embodiments,multiple standard and/or configured geographic hierarchies may be madeavailable to the user. Based on the selected geographic hierarchy, theuser may select a particular geographical view from the geographydropdown box 1804. For example, FIG. 19 illustrates one embodiment of astandard geographical hierarchy 1902 and a configured geographicalhierarchy 1904. If the user wants to view the data for the client at thenational level, the user may select either standard or configured fromthe geography hierarchy dropdown box 1802, and select national from thegeography dropdown box 1804. However, if the user would like to view thedata for stores managed by a particular senior director, the user canselect configured from the geography hierarchy dropdown box 1802, andselect senior director from the geography dropdown box 1804. This willallow the user to compare all client stores managed by the seniordirector against all other competitor stores in the relevant market.

Payor Type dropdown box 1806 allows the user to view data for aparticular payor type. The user may select between public, private,cash, or combined. For example, if the user selects cash, the datapresented to the user will be for all prescriptions filled by the clientin which the purchaser paid in cash.

Product hierarchy dropdown box 1808 is similar to geography hierarchydropdown box 1802, except that it allows the user to select a hierarchyfor the product. The user may select between, for example, standard andconfigured. Product dropdown box 1810 allows the user to view data for aparticular product. This filter may appear, for example, in a treeformat, such that when the cursor is placed over a particular productlevel, a list opens to allow for selection of a particular product inthat class. For example, if class is indicated, a list should open toallow the user to select a particular class (e.g., CardiovascularDrugs).

Disease type dropdown box 1812 allows the user to view data for aparticular disease type. In particular, this dropdown box may allow theuser to select between acute, chronic, or total. For example, if theuser selects chronic, the data presented to the user will be for allprescriptions filled by the client for products associated with chronicdiseases.

Product type dropdown box 1814 allows the user to view data for aparticular product type. In particular, this dropdown box may allow theuser to select between generic, brand, or total. For example, if theuser selects generic, the data presented to the user will be for allprescriptions filled by the client for generic products.

Time period dropdown box 1816 allows the user to view data for aparticular time period. This dropdown box may allow the user to selectbetween monthly, quarterly, and MAT. In another embodiment, the user maybe able to select one of last month, last quarter, last six months, andlast two years, among other possible time periods. For example, if theuser selects last six months, the data presented to the user will be forall prescriptions filled by the client in the last six months.

Metric dropdown box 1820 allows the user to select the metric by whichthe data will be calculated. The functions of metric dropdown box 1820were explained above in relation to metric dropdown box 1704 of FIG. 17.

FIG. 18 also illustrates a tab system that can be used in connectionwith some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. The reportdisplayed to the user may have several different parts which areassociated with the different tabs. For example, each of the reportsdescribed herein may be displayed on a separate tab. In one embodiment,the user is directed to a highlights tab 1822 upon logging in. Thehighlights tab may include certain key performance indicators (KPIs).For example, one KPI may be a comparison of the client's current marketshare based on the most recent MAT versus the same MAT from the yearprior, along with a growth figure. Another KPI may be the client'sgrowth versus the collective market share growth for all other classesof trade for the most recent MAT versus the same MAT from the yearprior. Another KPI may be the client's current market share. Thehighlights tab 1822 may also include a map showing the growth rate ineach subsection of a given geographical grouping. For example, if thenational filter is selected, the growth in each province, state, orterritory may be shown.

One embodiment of a market intelligence report using the filters isillustrated in FIG. 20. The filters described with reference to FIG. 18are shown in the header 2002. The market intelligence report includes amarket share chart 2004, a market share trend graph 2006, an historicalperformance table 2008, and a key indicators toolbar 2010. The variouscharts, graphs, tables, and toolbars may be dynamically adjusted byusing the dropdown boxes in header 2002. The historical performancetable 2008 may list the data used to compile the market share trendgraph 2006.

Key indicators toolbar 2010 includes geography insights, class insights,and payor insights 2018. Geography insights may include any informationrelated to a subset of the selected geographic region. Geographyinsights 2012 may list the fastest three growing geographies at aparticular geographic level. The fastest growing geographies areselected based on the change in prescription count between periods. Thedata values shown may include market share and share change. However,other metrics and data values may also be utilized. The geographic levelmay be one level below the current level selected. For example, withreference to FIG. 19, and assuming standard hierarchy 1902 is beingutilized, the three fastest growing regions will be identified ingeography insights 2014 if the geography dropdown box is set tonational. If the geography dropdown box is set to CMA, on the otherhand, the three fastest growing districts will be identified ingeography insights 2014.

Class insights may include any information related to the products soldin the selected geographic region. Class insights 2016 may illustratethe market share and market share change by product type for theselected geography. The product type may be one level below the currentlevel selected. For example, if class is selected in the productdropdown box, the class insights will show the market share and marketshare changes for various subclasses. Payor insights may include anyinformation related to payor type in the selected geographic region. Forexample, payor insights 2018 may illustrate the breakdown of marketshare and market share change by payer type.

Although the filters described in relation to FIGS. 17-20 allow the userto select the data that is displayed, in another embodiment the user maybe required to follow a pre-defined path. For example, a market sharereport for a particular store may be displayed to the user upon initiallog-in. By clicking a NEXT button, the user may then view a genericopportunity report for that particular store. The user may continue toclick the next button to be guided through a series of reports. Thereports shown in each such series may be determined by the provider. Thedetermination may based on information stored in the database, productresearch to define a series that users find helpful, or any othermethod. For example, a user may be guided through a series of priceoptimization reports for products that are underpriced (relative to themarket) for a particular store. Alternatively, the user may be guidedthrough a series of reports corresponding to the reports purchased bythe client.

FIG. 21 illustrates a category management report generated in connectionwith one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. The report includesa scorecard 2102, a market share trend graph 2104, an historicalperformance table 2106, and a key indicators toolbar 2108.

Scorecard includes a column 2110 which lists the class of products. Thescorecard 2102 may interactive, such that the user can click on any ofthe classes in column 2110 and the market share trend graph 2104 and thehistorical performance table 2106 may dynamically adjust to reflect datarelated to the selected class. Scorecard 2102 may include the client'svolume of prescription count or dollar amount, growth percentage, marketshare, and market share change for each therapeutic class. Theinformation may be shown for a different product level depending on theuser's selections.

The key indicators toolbar 2108 includes a top three molecules box 2112,a top branded/generic box 2114, and a disease type breakdown box 2116.The top three molecules box may list the top three products for theproduct level immediately below the selected product level. For example,if the user has selected a class from the product dropdown box, the topthree molecules box 2112 will list the top three subclasses within theselected class. The top branded/generic box will list the top brandedand generic products (e.g., two of each) for the product levelimmediately below the selected product level. For example, if the userhas selected a class, the top branded/generic box will list the topbranded and generic products within that class. The disease typebreakdown box may list, for the selected geographic level, the marketshare and market share change by disease type for that geographic group.

An embodiment of the process for generating a market intelligence reportis illustrated in FIG. 22. At 2202, the provider retrieves fact dataassociated with the non-client competitor stores. The fact data may bepulled from the database. In one embodiment, the information to beretrieved is stored by GPM.

The provider next retrieves fact data for the client stores at 2204.This fact data may also be pulled from the database, which may includeGPM.

The provider then uses the alignments to identify which information isrelevant at 2206. This is done by only using the information whichmatches the filters set by the user. If no filters are used, all factdata from all stores will be used in creating the report. However, ifone or more filters are used, only a subset of the fact data will beused in creating the report. For example, if the PROV filter is set fora store located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, only fact data from stores havingManitoba in the PROV field of the geographical alignment will be used increating the report. Similarly, if the user has selected generic in theproduct type filter, only fact data associated with sales of productslabeled as generic in the GENERIC INDICATOR field of the productalignment will be used in creating the report. Those having ordinaryskill in the art will understand that any combination of data fields maybe similarly used to identify the fact data that should be used ingenerating the report.

After the provider has identified the fact data that is to be used increating the report, the provider uses the fact data to calculate therelevant figures at 2208. The figures that the provider calculates willdepend on what information is to be displayed to the user. For example,in order to create the market share chart 702 in FIG. 7, the providercalculates the size of the entire market. For example, if the number ofprescriptions metric has been selected, the provider sums the totalnumber of prescriptions for all stores and products that have beenidentified as relevant in 2206 to obtain a market total. The provideralso sums the total number of prescriptions for all stores and productsthat have been identified as relevant in 2206 and which are labeled aCLIENT in the CLASS OF TRADE data field to obtain a client total. Theprovider can divide the client total by the market total to obtain theclient market share. The provider may also perform similar calculationsto obtain the market share for non-client stores in each of theFOOD/MASS, CHAIN/BANNER, and INDEPENDENT classes of trade. Those havingordinary skill in the art will understand that each of the charts,tables, and graphs presented herein, as well as any similar datareflecting business metrics that are generally known in the art, may becalculated in a similar manner.

The outlet count report may be calculated in a different manner. Thegeneration of an outlet count report starts with the creation of anoutput table. The output table reflects the status of each store in thedatabase (or the geographical alignment) for each of the previous 24months. The output table will reflect that the store was open for eachdate that is after the ADDED DATE in the geographical alignment but isbefore the DROPPED DATE. The outlet count report is generated bycounting the number of stores open as of the relevant date. Similarly,the disclosed subject matter may allow the user to choose betweenorganic and non-organic data. Organic data, as used herein, refers todata from any store that has been opened for at least 24 months. Thus,if organic data is selected, only data from stores that have been openedfor at least 24 months, as indicated in the OPEN_MONTHS data field ofthe geographical alignment, will be identified as relevant forgenerating the report.

With reference to FIG. 1, the alignments are updated based on new dataat 110. The updates may be performed periodically (e.g., at the end ofevery month or every quarter). The previous alignments may be saved tothe archives. The locations of any competitor stores may be updated. Ifa store has moved, for example, the new address will have to be saved.Updated alignment files can be created for each client. In oneembodiment, updated files are created for each client based on theclient's subscription. For example, if client A has a monthlysubscription, and client B has a quarterly subscription, client A'salignment files will be updated more frequently than client B'salignment files. The reports generated for each of the clients may alsobe based on the subscription, such that client A's reports are updatedmonthly. Finally, upon updating the alignments, a notification may bedelivered to each client and/or user regarding the new information.

FIG. 23 illustrates one embodiment of the system used to access theportal of the disclosed subject matter. User computers 2302 a, 2302 b,2302 c, and 2302 d are communicably connected to a user interface 2304.User computers 2302 can be any computing device known in the art,including personal computers, PDAs, smartphones, and the like. Usercomputers 2302 are connected to the user interface 2304 through a datanetwork. The data network may be, for example, the Internet. The datanetwork may also be a client's Intranet. However, any data network canbe used without departing from the scope of the disclosed subjectmatter. The user interface 2304 may be a website which a user access byentering the appropriate website address. However, the user interfacemay include any device that allows the user to establish a connectionwith the portal. As previously discussed, the user interface in someembodiments of the disclosed subject matter may be a terminal providedby the provider, in which case user computers 2302 may not be necessary.The user interface 2302 provides a connection between the user computers2302 and the portal server 2306. The portal server 2306 may include adatabase 2308 for storing data. The database 2308 may store, forexample, fact data related to various products and locations (such asdata gathered in commercial databases, data compiled from publiclyavailable sources, data received directly from some or all retailpharmacies, or data provided by the client), store or product profiles,and various alignment files. The database 2308 may also store clientdata including user names, associated permissions, and configuredhierarchies. In general, any data used by the portal can be stored indatabase 2308. Database 2308 may be a single memory device. In otherembodiments, however, database 2308 can be formed by a plurality ofmemory devices. The server portal 2308 can also include a reportgenerator 2310 for generating reports to be presented to the user and analignment module 2312 for constructing alignments to be used inconnection with the disclosed subject matter. The portal server 2306 maybe a computer system in which discrete machines are communicablyconnected. In other embodiments, however, various components of theportal server 2306 may be modules of a single machine. For example,report generator 2310 and alignment module 2312 may be realized using asingle machine. User interface 2304 may likewise be a part of orseparate from portal server 2306. The portal server 2306 and otherhardware components can provide functionality as a result of logichardwired or otherwise embodied in a circuit, which can operate in placeof or together with software to execute particular processes orparticular parts of particular processes described herein. Reference tosoftware can encompass logic, and vice versa, where appropriate. Portalserver 2306 or other hardware components may also be realized usingcomputer-readable media. Reference to a computer-readable non-transitorystorage medium can encompass, for example, a storage device, a memory, acircuit (such as an integrated circuit (IC)) storing software forexecution, or a circuit embodying logic for execution, whereappropriate. The present disclosure encompasses any suitable combinationof hardware and software.

As noted earlier, the provider may offer a plurality of levels or tiersof access to the portal, and the information and analysis available to aclient through the portal may vary depending on the client's level ofaccess. In one implementation, at a Tier 1 level of access, reportsgenerated for the client and provided through the portal may includeinformation and analysis at a high level. The reports may, for example,provide the client with quantified market intelligence that can be usedby the client to answer key questions related to conditions in therelevant market, or to the client's business. At a Tier 2 level ofaccess, generated reports may include more advanced information andanalysis, and additional interactive features may be provided. Forexample, in one implementation, a client with a Tier 2 level of accessmay be provided with guided analytics, and with the ability to select aplurality of metrics. Clients having a Tier 3 level of access to theportal may be provided with unique business applications that can beused to generate reports providing detailed information relating toparticular topics. For example, in one implementation, applicationsavailable through the portal to a client with a Tier 3 level of accessmay be used to generate a specific type of advanced report that includesindicators relating to one or more critical measurement areas.

Although examples of reports, modules, and applications that areavailable for each of three levels of access are provided below, itshould be understood that a portal provider may offer fewer or morelevels of access to its clients than those described herein, and thatthe particular reports, modules, and applications associated with agiven level of access may vary between implementations. In someimplementations, each progressive tier of access may offer additionalinsight and analytical complexity to a client, as well as additionalfunctionality or interactivity, as compared to the last.

A retail client may be interested in obtaining store-level benchmarkingand key performance and market indicators that facilitate businessplanning. Reports generated for a retail client having a Tier 1 level ofaccess may include, for example, indicators that assist the client indetermining (1) the client's share of the relevant market; (2) a rate atwhich the client's business is growing, and a comparison of that rateagainst the market or one or more specific competitors; (3) potentialfor growth in a particular area of trade; (4) which products or classesof products are top sellers; or (5) which products or classes ofproducts are experiencing the fastest rate of growth.

Reports may be tailored to the relevant market. Where the relevantmarket is the retail pharmaceutical market, for example, reportsgenerated for a retail client having a Tier 1 level of access mayinclude indicators that assist the client in determining (1) aproportion of the client's business that involves the sale ofpharmaceuticals used to treat acute as opposed to chronic conditions;(2) a proportion of the client's business that involves the sale ofbrand as opposed to generic pharmaceuticals; (3) how the client's payorsplit, between public, private, and cash payors, compares to the market;(4) payor trends; or (5) high potential prescribing stores.

Reports may also be generated for clients other than retail clients.Taking the pharmaceutical market as an example, a government may beinterested in determining how to deliver affordable healthcare to itscitizens, and in determining how to drive costs associated withpharmaceuticals down. The portal may be configured to generate reportsfor a government client that include indicators that assist the clientin determining market conditions within a geographic area, and indetermining the effectiveness of services delivered or paid for by theclient, so as to better achieve these and other goals. Similarly,private insurers may be interested in analyzing market conditions and indriving costs down, and the portal may be configured to generate reportsfor an insurance client that include indicators that assist the clientin determining how to achieve its particular goals.

As noted above, a client having a Tier 2 level of access to the portalmay benefit from advanced analytic tools, as well as additionalinteractive features. In one implementation, for example, an individualassociated with a client with a Tier 2 level of access may be able toselect one or more metrics through an interactive user interface, and acustom report may be generated based on the selected metrics. A clientwith a Tier 2 level of access may be able to interact with a generatedreport, so as to gain additional insight related to one or moreindicators. For example, the portal may be configured to enable a clientto engage in self-directed business diagnosis by drilling down intoavailable data, so as to reveal additional information.

Clients having a Tier 2 level of access may also benefit from one ormore guided analytics modules that provide advanced information andanalyses. For example, a market intelligence module may be used togenerate a report providing a high-level summary of market conditions,along with a plurality of indicators pertaining to a client'sperformance within the market. A category management module may be usedto generate a report identifying growth opportunities and untappedpotential for the client's business. A geographic dynamic module may beused to generate a report that identifies potential for the client'sbusiness based on geographic differences in market conditions. Othermodules may also be provided.

A client having a Tier 3 level of access may benefit from one or moreadvanced applications that can be used to generate specific reports, andto provide additional functionality. Whereas the reports that may begenerated for clients having a Tier for Tier 2 level of access generallyprovide a high-level overview of market conditions and/or variousaspects of a client's business, the reports that may be generated usingthe applications available to clients with a Tier 3 level of access tendto be more focused, allowing for a deep dive into data relating to aparticular topic. For example, applications available to a client with aTier 3 level of access may be used to generate reports related to: (1)price optimization and competitive pricing strategies; (2) physicianswithin a geographic area; (3) customer demographics; (4) customerbehavior; (5) customer persistency to drug therapy; or (6) productperformance.

In more detail, and in one implementation, a price optimizationapplication may generate a report based on an alignment associated witha client, the report including indicators derived from data contained ina database. The indicators included in the report generated by the priceoptimization application may be derived from information related tostores and to products, and can be used by the client to developcompetitive pricing strategies, and to monitor the effectiveness ofthese strategies over time.

A physician focus application may be used to generate a report includingindicators that highlight business growth opportunities relating tophysicians within a geographic area. For example, high potentialphysicians within an area may be identified, and information relating tothe client's share of physician scripts dispensed in the area may bepresented. The indicators may be presented to a user, for example, in anactionable presentation layer that includes a map of the area, the mapproviding the locations of one or more of the high potential physicians.

As an alternative or in addition to the attached claims and theembodiments described above, at least the following embodiments 1through 20 are also innovative.

Embodiment 1 is a computer-implemented method, the method comprisingcreating, by one or more processors, an alignment associated with aclient, where the alignment organizes data in a database, and where thedata in the database comprises prescription information, storeinformation, and product information, receiving a request for a report,where the request identifies the client, and generating the requestedreport based on the alignment, where the report comprises one or moreindicators derived from data contained in the database.

Embodiment 2 is the method of embodiment 1, where creating an alignmentassociated with a client comprises: creating, based on the data in thedatabase, an alignment file comprising a list of one or more stores andone or more data fields for information associated with each listedstore, where the information associated with each listed store comprisesgeographic information, and where each listed store is a retail store ina market that is relevant to the client, identifying one or more of thelisted stores as client stores, and identifying, based on geographicinformation, one or more of the listed stores as competitors of one ormore of the client stores.

Embodiment 3 is the method of embodiment 2, where the alignment filefurther comprises one or more data fields for information associatedwith products sold at one or more of the listed stores.

Embodiment 4 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 through 3, wherereceiving a request for a report further comprises receiving a username, identifying the client based on the user name, and identifyingpermissions associated with the user name, and where generating therequested report based on the alignment further comprises generating therequested report based on the identified permissions.

Embodiment 5 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 through 4, wherethe one or more indicators in the generated report compare theperformance of the client with the performance of one or morecompetitors in a relevant market.

Embodiment 6 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 through 5,further comprising: receiving one or more indications of one or moreselected metrics, where generating the requested report based on thealignment further comprises generating the requested report based on theselected metrics, and where the one or more indicators in the generatedreport correspond to one or more of the selected metrics.

Embodiment 7 is the method of any of embodiments 1 through 6, furthercomprising: receiving a request for an additional report, where therequest identifies the client, and where the request indicates aspecific type of the additional report, generating the requestedadditional report based on the alignment, wherein the additional reportcomprises one or more indicators derived from data contained in thedatabase, and where the one or more indicators in the generatedadditional report correspond to the specific type of the additionalreport.

Embodiment 8 is the method of any of embodiments 1 through 7, where thestore information comprises data relating to one or more stores in aretail pharmaceutical market, and where the one or more stores sellprescription drugs to the general public.

Embodiment 9 is a system comprising one or more processing devices, anda non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or moreprocessing devices having instructions stored thereon which, whenexecuted by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or moreprocessing devices to perform the method of any one of embodiments 1through 8.

Embodiment 10 is a computer-readable non-transitory storage mediumencoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructionsthat when executed by data processing apparatus cause the dataprocessing apparatus to perform the method of any one of embodiments 1through 8.

Embodiment 11 is a computer-implemented method, the method comprisingcreating, by one or more processors, an alignment associated with agovernment or insurance client, where the alignment organizes data in adatabase, and where the data in the database comprises prescriptioninformation, product information, and geography information, receiving arequest for a report, where the request identifies the client, andgenerating the requested report based on the alignment, where the reportcomprises one or more indicators derived from data contained in thedatabase.

Embodiment 12 is the method of embodiment 11, where creating analignment associated with a government or insurance client comprises:creating, based on the data in the database, an alignment filecomprising one or more data fields for geographic information.

Embodiment 13 is the method of embodiment 12, where the alignment filefurther comprises one or more data fields for information associatedwith products sold within a geographic area.

Embodiment 14 is the method of any one of embodiments 11 through 13,where receiving a request for a report further comprises receiving auser name, identifying the client based on the user name, andidentifying permissions associated with the user name, and wheregenerating the requested report based on the alignment further comprisesgenerating the requested report based on the identified permissions.

Embodiment 15 is the method of any one of embodiments 11 through 14,where the one or more indicators in the generated report provideinformation related to a relevant market.

Embodiment 16 is the method of any one of embodiments 11 through 15,further comprising: receiving one or more indications of one or moreselected metrics, where generating the requested report based on thealignment further comprises generating the requested report based on theselected metrics, and where the one or more indicators in the generatedreport correspond to one or more of the selected metrics.

Embodiment 17 is the method of any of embodiments 11 through 16, furthercomprising: receiving a request for an additional report, where therequest identifies the government or insurance client, and where therequest indicates a specific type of the additional report, generatingthe requested additional report based on the alignment, wherein theadditional report comprises one or more indicators derived from datacontained in the database, and where the one or more indicators in thegenerated additional report correspond to the specific type of theadditional report.

Embodiment 18 is the method of any of embodiments 11 through 17, wherethe geographic information comprises data relating to a retailpharmaceutical market in a particular geographic area.

Embodiment 19 is a system comprising one or more processing devices, anda non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or moreprocessing devices having instructions stored thereon which, whenexecuted by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or moreprocessing devices to perform the method of any one of embodiments 11through 18.

Embodiment 20 is a computer-readable non-transitory storage mediumencoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructionsthat when executed by data processing apparatus cause the dataprocessing apparatus to perform the method of any one of embodiments 11through 18.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosed subjectmatter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art willbe able to devise numerous systems and methods which, although notexplicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of thedisclosed subject matter and thus are within the spirit and scope of thedisclosed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, from a client device and by a data processing module of acomputer system that includes (i) the data processing module, (ii) acomputational module, (iii) an output module, and (iv) one or moredatabases, data indicating a report request that identifies: a firsttransaction source from among a plurality of transaction sources, and aperformance metric for to the first transaction source; in response toreceiving the data indicating the report request: obtaining, by the dataprocessing module of the computer system and from a first set ofdatabase systems configured to exchange data with the computer systemover a second network, a first stream of transaction data including oneor more transaction records for the first transaction source; obtaining,by the data processing module of the computer system and from a secondset of database systems configured to exchange data with the computersystem over the second network, a second stream of transaction dataincluding one or more transaction records for a second transactionsource within the plurality of transaction sources that is not the firsttransaction source; processing, by the data processing module of thecomputing system, contents of the one or more transaction records forthe first transaction source to generate a first relational databasemodel, the processing comprising: identifying transaction records thatare distributed at the first transaction source; determining, for eachof the transaction records, a total number of transactions at the firsttransaction source that are associated with a transaction record;generating, within the one or more databases, the first relationaldatabase model specifying the total number of transactions for each ofthe transaction records at the first transaction source; processing, bythe computing system, contents of the one or more transaction recordsfor the second pharmacy to generate a second relational database model,the processing comprising: identifying transaction records that aredistributed at the designated transaction source; determining, for eachof the transaction records, a total number of transactions at the secondtransaction source that are associated with a transaction record;generating, within the one or more databases, the second relationaldatabase model specifying the total number of transactions for each ofthe transaction records at the second transaction source; generating, bythe data processing module of the computing system and within the one ormore databases, a mapping between the first relational database modeland the second relational database model; comparing, by thecomputational module of the computer system and using the longitudinalmapping, corresponding data fields within the first relational databasemodel and the second relational database model; computing, by thecomputational module of the computer system and for the firsttransaction source, a performance score corresponding to the performancemetric for the first transaction source identified within the reportrequest based on comparing the corresponding data fields within thefirst relational database model and the second relational model;generating, by the output module of the computer system, a reportresponsive to the received report request, the report including thecomputed performance score for the first transaction source; andproviding, by the output module of the computer system, the generatedreport for output to the client device over the first network.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the computationalmodule of the computer system, a user associated with the client devicebased on a username identified by the received report request; andidentifying, by the computational module of the computer system, a setof permissions associated with the username; wherein the requestedreport is generated based at least on the set of permissions associatedwith the username.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein at the computedperformance score included in the generated report represents a relativeincrease in distribution of a transaction record at the firsttransaction source compared to a corresponding increase in distributionof the transaction record at the second transaction source.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the data processingmodule of the computer system and from the client device over the firstnetwork, one or more user inputs selecting a transaction record fromamong the transaction records; and adjusting, by the data processingmodule of the computer system and within the one or more databases, thefirst relational database model and the second relational database modelto include one or more transaction records of the transaction record;and wherein the performance score corresponding to the performancemetric for the first transaction source is computed based on comparingthe contents of the adjusted first relational database model and theadjusted second relational database model.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving, by the data processing module of thecomputer system and from the client device, data indicating a requestfor an additional report, the request for the additional reportidentifying the first transaction source and information relating to oneor more additional performance metrics that are different from theperformance metric for the first transaction source identified withinthe report request; computing, by the computational module of thecomputer system, additional performance scores corresponding to theadditional performance metrics based on comparing the contents of thefirst relational database model and the contents of the secondrelational model; and generating, by the output module of the computersystem, an additional report that includes the computed one or moreadditional performance scores.
 6. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage device encoded with computer program instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers toperform operations comprising: receiving, from a client device and by adata processing module of a computer system that includes (i) the dataprocessing module, (ii) a computational module, (iii) an output module,and (iv) one or more databases, data indicating a report request thatidentifies: a first transaction source from among a plurality oftransaction sources, and a performance metric for to the firsttransaction source; in response to receiving the data indicating thereport request: obtaining, by the data processing module of the computersystem and from a first set of database systems configured to exchangedata with the computer system over a second network, a first stream oftransaction data including one or more transaction records for the firsttransaction source; obtaining, by the data processing module of thecomputer system and from a second set of database systems configured toexchange data with the computer system over the second network, a secondstream of transaction data including one or more transaction records fora second transaction source within the plurality of transaction sourcesthat is not the first transaction source; processing, by the dataprocessing module of the computing system, contents of the one or moretransaction records for the first transaction source to generate a firstrelational database model, the processing comprising: identifyingtransaction records that are distributed at the first transactionsource; determining, for each of the transaction records, a total numberof transactions at the first transaction source that are associated witha transaction record; generating, within the one or more databases, thefirst relational database model specifying the total number oftransactions for each of the transaction records at the firsttransaction source; processing, by the computing system, contents of theone or more transaction records for the second pharmacy to generate asecond relational database model, the processing comprising: identifyingtransaction records that are distributed at the designated transactionsource; determining, for each of the transaction records, a total numberof transactions at the second transaction source that are associatedwith a transaction record; generating, within the one or more databases,the second relational database model specifying the total number oftransactions for each of the transaction records at the secondtransaction source; generating, by the data processing module of thecomputing system and within the one or more databases, a mapping betweenthe first relational database model and the second relational databasemodel; comparing, by the computational module of the computer system andusing the longitudinal mapping, corresponding data fields within thefirst relational database model and the second relational databasemodel; computing, by the computational module of the computer system andfor the first transaction source, a performance score corresponding tothe performance metric for the first transaction source identifiedwithin the report request based on comparing the corresponding datafields within the first relational database model and the secondrelational model; generating, by the output module of the computersystem, a report responsive to the received report request, the reportincluding the computed performance score for the first transactionsource; and providing, by the output module of the computer system, thegenerated report for output to the client device over the first network.7. The device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:identifying, by the computational module of the computer system, a userassociated with the client device based on a username identified by thereceived report request; and identifying, by the computational module ofthe computer system, a set of permissions associated with the username;wherein the requested report is generated based at least on the set ofpermissions associated with the username.
 8. The device of claim 6,wherein at the computed performance score included in the generatedreport represents a relative increase in distribution of a transactionrecord at the first transaction source compared to a correspondingincrease in distribution of the transaction record at the secondtransaction source.
 9. The device of claim 6, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: receiving, by the data processing module of thecomputer system and from the client device over the first network, oneor more user inputs selecting a transaction record from among thetransaction records; and adjusting, by the data processing module of thecomputer system and within the one or more databases, the firstrelational database model and the second relational database model toinclude one or more transaction records of the transaction record; andwherein the performance score corresponding to the performance metricfor the first transaction source is computed based on comparing thecontents of the adjusted first relational database model and theadjusted second relational database model.
 10. The device of claim 6,wherein the operations further comprise: receiving, by the dataprocessing module of the computer system and from the client device overthe first network, one or more user inputs selecting a transactionrecord from among the transaction records; and adjusting, by the dataprocessing module of the computer system and within the one or moredatabases, the first relational database model and the second relationaldatabase model to include one or more transaction records of thetransaction record; and wherein the performance score corresponding tothe performance metric for the first transaction source is computedbased on comparing the contents of the adjusted first relationaldatabase model and the adjusted second relational database model.
 11. Asystem comprising: one or more computers; and one or more storagedevices storing instructions that, when executed by the one or morecomputers, cause the one or more computers to perform operationscomprising: receiving, from a client device and by a data processingmodule of a computer system that includes (i) the data processingmodule, (ii) a computational module, (iii) an output module, and (iv)one or more databases, data indicating a report request that identifies:a first transaction source from among a plurality of transactionsources, and a performance metric for to the first transaction source;in response to receiving the data indicating the report request:obtaining, by the data processing module of the computer system and froma first set of database systems configured to exchange data with thecomputer system over a second network, a first stream of transactiondata including one or more transaction records for the first transactionsource; obtaining, by the data processing module of the computer systemand from a second set of database systems configured to exchange datawith the computer system over the second network, a second stream oftransaction data including one or more transaction records for a secondtransaction source within the plurality of transaction sources that isnot the first transaction source; processing, by the data processingmodule of the computing system, contents of the one or more transactionrecords for the first transaction source to generate a first relationaldatabase model, the processing comprising: identifying transactionrecords that are distributed at the first transaction source;determining, for each of the transaction records, a total number oftransactions at the first transaction source that are associated with atransaction record; generating, within the one or more databases, thefirst relational database model specifying the total number oftransactions for each of the transaction records at the firsttransaction source; processing, by the computing system, contents of theone or more transaction records for the second pharmacy to generate asecond relational database model, the processing comprising: identifyingtransaction records that are distributed at the designated transactionsource; determining, for each of the transaction records, a total numberof transactions at the second transaction source that are associatedwith a transaction record; generating, within the one or more databases,the second relational database model specifying the total number oftransactions for each of the transaction records at the secondtransaction source; generating, by the data processing module of thecomputing system and within the one or more databases, a mapping betweenthe first relational database model and the second relational databasemodel; comparing, by the computational module of the computer system andusing the longitudinal mapping, corresponding data fields within thefirst relational database model and the second relational databasemodel; computing, by the computational module of the computer system andfor the first transaction source, a performance score corresponding tothe performance metric for the first transaction source identifiedwithin the report request based on comparing the corresponding datafields within the first relational database model and the secondrelational model; generating, by the output module of the computersystem, a report responsive to the received report request, the reportincluding the computed performance score for the first transactionsource; and providing, by the output module of the computer system, thegenerated report for output to the client device over the first network.12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:identifying, by the computational module of the computer system, a userassociated with the client device based on a username identified by thereceived report request; and identifying, by the computational module ofthe computer system, a set of permissions associated with the username;wherein the requested report is generated based at least on the set ofpermissions associated with the username.
 13. The system of claim 11,wherein at the computed performance score included in the generatedreport represents a relative increase in distribution of a transactionrecord at the first transaction source compared to a correspondingincrease in distribution of the transaction record at the secondtransaction source.
 14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:receiving, by the data processing module of the computer system and fromthe client device over the first network, one or more user inputsselecting a transaction record from among the transaction records; andadjusting, by the data processing module of the computer system andwithin the one or more databases, the first relational database modeland the second relational database model to include one or moretransaction records of the transaction record; and wherein theperformance score corresponding to the performance metric for the firsttransaction source is computed based on comparing the contents of theadjusted first relational database model and the adjusted secondrelational database model.
 15. The system of claim 11, furthercomprising: receiving, by the data processing module of the computersystem and from the client device, data indicating a request for anadditional report, the request for the additional report identifying thefirst transaction source and information relating to one or moreadditional performance metrics that are different from the performancemetric for the first transaction source identified within the reportrequest; computing, by the computational module of the computer system,additional performance scores corresponding to the additionalperformance metrics based on comparing the contents of the firstrelational database model and the contents of the second relationalmodel; and generating, by the output module of the computer system, anadditional report that includes the computed one or more additionalperformance scores.